Re: Come
up for air

: : Dictionaries
define "come up for air" as 'to have rest.' Has anybody seen it used in other
meanings, e.g. 'come to the surface, become visible'?

: Well, yes, there's the
literal meaning, of course: of a swimming creature that breathes air (e.g., seal,
whale, beaver, otter, human), to rise to the surface of the water in order to
inhale.

He breathed like a diver coming up for air. (Laurens van der Post, _The
Lost World of the Kalahari_, 1958)

It's in these warm lagoons that the whales
come each year to breed and nurse their young
But along their long journey,
the whales have to come up for air.
From Whale Watching at: http://islandiasport.com/prod04.htm

"The
Whale"
The whale is swimming out to sea, / Out to sea, out to sea, / The whale
is swimming out to sea / Early in the morning.
The whale is diving far below,
/ Far below, far below, / The whale is diving far below, / Early in the morning.
The
whale is coming up for air, /Up for air, up for air, / The whale is coming up
for air, / Early in the morning.
From http://www.track0.com/canteach/elementary/songspoems61.html